Tales of the Dovahkiin
by Queen of Skyrim
Summary: Amanda was attacked in her home town of Anvil and when she flees to Skyrim, her world is turned upside down. She becomes the one they call the Dragonborn. Skyrim is in the state of turmoil with war and the the dragons are a rising threat that must be taken care of. This is the tale of a Dragonborn and her faithful Housecarl, Lydia. [Female Dragonborn/ OC] My first ever fanfic!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters- except for my own- I do not own Skyrim. It all belongs to the lovely Bethesda!  
Also, the names that are bold and underlined means that it is in their POV.**

* * *

**Amanda: **

Closing my eyes, I let the wind whip at my blonde hair, smiling. My nose takes in the wild smell of the sea. "I can't wait to get on solid ground." I open my eyes and look at Konn.

"It will be just like the stories I used to tell you when you were a child. Skyrim is cold and fierce, just like us Nords," he looks at me sheepishly. "Being an Imperial might have its downfalls though."

"Yeah, I'm not too good in the cold," I say. "I never had a chance to visit Bruma."

"Ah, you'll get used to it. A nice warm cloak and a belly full of mead always gets the fire burning in my belly."

Looking at my friend- well, my Mother's friend- I smile. I have known Konn since I can remember. He was a friend of my parents- they had met when Konn offered them a job on his ship. Of course, they didn't take it because they were already guards of Anvil, but the three of them became great friends after that.

I flinch at the thought of my parents. They had both died trying to save me…

"We'll be stopping in Solitude first, the capital of Skyrim ought to know what has become of Anvil. But, I need you to go Whiterun. Tell the Jarl there."

"Whiterun?" I ask.

"The town is the trading hub of Skyrim, a lot of merchants sell their goods at the city gates and in the market place. A lot of merchants also ship their goods over to Anvil- on my ship. We can't go back to that hell hole now."

I nod, "got it."

Konn pauses, his shoulders sagging, "by the nine. How did those bandits manage to get past the guard? I mean, our guard was at least a thousand strong. And… and your parents would have lead them well."

I close my eyes, turning my head away from Konn. The memories came floating into my mind, like the first snowflake at Frost Fall.

When I was about ten years old, both my Mother and my Father were promoted to Captains of the Anvil Guard. When those… bandits attacked, Mother and Father lead the guard to fight.

I, of course, excelled in fighting, but they pushed me towards the docks, so I could get on Konn's boat and leave the city.

"I have to begin a new life here, don't I?" I ask, turning back to Konn.

He nods his head sadly, "We have something like the Fighter's Guild in Whiterun, we call it the Companions. I know you love your sword and shield."

My lips twitch into a smile as Konn tries to cheer me up.

"And the Imperial Legion is always looking for soldiers."\

I've heard all about the war raging between our Imperial forces and the Nord rebels under Ulfric Stormcloak's command. The Thalmor side with the Imperials, but no one knows how long that will last.

"Ulfric is a racist Nord who believes he should be the True High King of Skyrim. I think otherwise. Let Elisif take the role of High Queen," says Konn.

I open my mouth to reply but I am suddenly yanked off my feet and I fall to the deck.

Something has hit the ship's bow. The ship jerks to the side and the old wooden planks groan as the boat begins to tip.

Konn pulls me to my feet.

A crew member runs up to us, holding ropes, "sir, a rock has hit the ship's side."

Konn looks at the sailor, "steer her away from the shallows, make sure we don't hit anymore rocks."

"Yes Captain."

"I'll try and fix the hole, we are too far out from Solitude," says Konn. He begins yelling orders to his crew. He turns to me, "Amanda get to your sleeping room and stay there, it's not safe for you to be here. Let the crew handle this. We'll fix this, don't worry."

Sea spray hits my frightened face and I nod.

He squeezes my hand then he lets go.

I swallow and run, swinging the metal door open and running down the stairs to the common room. Sailors run past me, trying to figure out what is going on.

I run to my sleeping room and pull my pack out. Grabbing my map of Skyrim that I've been studying, I slide the parchment into a steel cylinder and seal the edges and stuff it into my pack. I grab my coin purse with 20 gold in it and place it in my hidden pocket of my pack. Picking up my iron dagger and look at it then slid it into my sheath, and attaching it to my belt.

I don't know what's going on. Breathing heavily, I try to calm my nerves. Konn will fix whatever it is. I know he will.

That's when the ship tilts. Just before I hit the ground, my hand catches hold of the doorway and I gasp it, pulling myself up. My arms shaking, I move myself out of my room and towards the deck.

The ship shudders again and water begins to rush in from a hole in the side.

Realisation sinks in and my blood turns cold. _The ship's sinking. _

Water swirls around my shivering legs, threatening to envelop me in its darkness. I push y way through the thick liquid. My clothes are heavy, dragging through the water. The boat is filling up quickly and I can feel it begin to rock and I know it's going to tip on its side.

Konn obviously didn't get to fix the hole.

_I have to get out of here._

The water is now up to my neck, filling fast. My eyes search the room, but I can't find the door. I'm trapped.

Wait, the exit might be _under_ the water.

I take a breath and dive down into the murky and cold water. My hands find the steel door and I pull myself through it, kicking my way out of the room and swim to the stairs. The door to the deck is open and a huge crack- wood splintering- echoes across the air. I see Konn standing in the middle of the deck and look at me before the heavy wooden mast breaks off and lands on him.

I scream, "no!" The cold water swirls around my shivering legs, but I don't care. I run out onto the deck and over to the Captain. "Konn!" I grab hold of the mast and pull, trying to get the pole off him.

He coughs, blood and dirt cover his face, "it's no use Amanda. You must abandon ship. It's the only way."

"No, I won't leave you."

"You have to leave Amanda. Go, before the ship sinks. When you get to land, remember to head to Whiterun. I'm... I'm so sorry." He smiles and then his eyes roll back into his head and his body goes limp.

"No, don't do this," I whisper. "Please, don't go. You're the only friend I have left."

Another huge crack echoes off the boat and I look up, tears shrouding my vision. I slowly stand up and look around. The water has nearly covered the whole deck.

Some bodies float upside down in the water, others crushed by the other mast.

I'm about to run to the wheel, when the ship shudders again, and a rock suddenly erupts from underneath the front of the ship. It drives its way through the wood and protrudes out the front of the upper deck. I'm thrown backwards and the water surges around me, pushing me back into the hold of the boat.

I spin in the water, trying to know which way is up and where down is. I begin swimming but something hits me in the back and my whole world goes black.

* * *

**AN: So this is my first fan fic! I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter, it kind of just sets up the story and introduces the main character! I suck at summaries, but I promise it gets better! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Skyrim or any of its characters, Bethesda owns them all- except for my character!  
****Remember that the names that are bold and underlined means that it is in their POV.**  


* * *

**Amanda:**

I slowly open my eyes. I'm facing upwards and I can see the wooden ceiling of the ship. I feel myself bobbing up and down with the water.

_Wait, how am I still alive?_ I remember being hit by something and my vision going black. I shift so I'm upright in the water, treading it.

I'm in a little pocket of air, in the common room.

"OK, so, I've just got to find the stairs and make my way out of the ship," I whisper shakily. I can still feel my pack on my back, which is a good start.

I duck under the water and open my eyes, trying to see where I need to go. I break the surface to my little air pocket and notice the air is harder to breathe. I'm running out of air, so I need to leave soon.

I submerge myself in the water again and make my way to the stairs, kicking and using my arms. My leg brushes against something solid and I flinch as I turn and see that it's a dead body.

I grab onto the doorway, still under water and I heave myself through it and I reach open water. I kick upwards.

My heart begins to beat faster and I can feel my lungs bursting for air. I kick harder, desperately trying to reach the surface…

Finally, I break it.

I breathe in big gulps of air, while coughing. I look around and see that the ship has tipped right over, the bottom half of the body sticking out from the water. I tread water next to it.

I swim over and climb onto the boat, standing on the protruding part, standing on the faded wooden planks. I look around the sea, trying to find land.

I see it. To the side of me is a shore line, with a dirt path on it. In front of me is a huge stone arch and I see a city built on top of it.

Solitude.

_Thank goodness, I'm close to civilisation._

I dive off the ship and begin swimming to shore. The water isn't too cold in this part of Skyrim, the sun warming my back as I swim.

I'm still quite a long way from land, so I make sure I pace myself and not tire.

Fish swim around me, flitting away if they get too close. I laugh and splash them. I stop ever few minutes to catch my breath.

I finally get to shore and I crawl onto the sand, cold and soaking. Something lies on the sand and I notice that it's an armour set. Fur armour by the looks of it. It must have washed up on the shore when the ship tipped over.

I grab it, yanking off my wet shirt and pants, but leaving my under garments on.

The fur armour fits well, covering my chest, stomach and shoulders. I pull the fur pants on and they fit well. The armour soaks up any excess water on my skin. I keep my woollen boots on so I don't have to walk bare feet.

I smile, feeling a bit better and then begin walking on the path, heading to the big city on the stone arch.

I walk up and over a big bridge flanking a cliff face and see the Solitude docks, with a few boats in port.

So, that's where we would have docked if we reached the city.

A guard spots me and walks up to me. He wearing a chain linked cuirass with a red sash draped over it. A red cape bellows in the wind behind him and his shield has the face of a wolf on it, surrounded in red. A full-faced helmet covers his face.

"I haven't seen you around before, are you a traveller?"

"You could say that. I was on a ship heading out from Anvil and it ship wrecked just near the shore over there," I point out to the sea. "I'm the only survivor."

The guard looks at me, "oh, I'm sorry. I heard about what happened in Cryodiil, those attacks... I'm very sorry. If there's anything you need, just say so."

"Thanks, but is there any way to Whiterun, I need to go there," I say.

"Yeah, there's a carriage with a driver up at the stables, that way," he points up the hill. "Follow the path and you'll find the stables. The man there will take you to Whiterun. Do you have the money though?"

"I've got 20 gold," I say hopefully.

"Here, take 30," he hands me a coin bag. "You'll need 50 gold to be able to go anywhere here in Skyrim."

"Oh, no, I couldn't…"

"We'll get a patrol down to the ship wreck and retrieve the bodies."

"I… thank you. I'll let you continue on your patrol," I say. The guard nods at me. I begin to walk away, but the guard grabs my arm.

"And Imperial," he says. I look at him, well, at his helmet. "Stay out of trouble."

"I'll try."

He let's go and I continue my ascent up the hill. Surely enough, the stables come into view and I see more people.

They walking around, doing chores and feeding the two chestnut horses that are standing in the stables. Both steeds are bare backed.

I see the man sitting at the front of the carriage. Another man, who looks like the carriage guard leans against the wooden cart.

"Ah, hey, I need a ride to Whiterun," I say.

"Sure, that's 50 gold," the man says.

I hesitate, not knowing whether I should give him all my money, "sure, here you go."

"Get in the back and we should be there by morning."

We arrive in Whiterun as the sun begins to rise over the beautiful horizon.

"Whoa, girl," says the carriage man to his brown horse, pulling on the reins. He turns around to me, "OK miss, here we are. Whiterun."

"Thank you," The carriage guard helps me down from the steps and smiles. I smile back, "oh, do you know where I could earn some gold from, I'm kind of broke right now."

"Head up to Dragonsreach, the Jarl's Steward is sure to have a bounty letter that you could use. If not, check in with Hulda at the Bannered Mare Inn."

"Alright, thanks."

The man whips the reins and the guard grabs hold of the carriage, one foot on the step and they set off back to Solitude.

I turn around and look at the city walls, trying to see if I can spot any buildings.

"Well, here begins my new life," I sigh. I walk up to stone path and follow it to the outskirts of Whiterun, the big stone structures towering over me. A trading hub has been set up along the small path, with shoppers and merchants standing around.

I see merchants selling food, drink, armour, weapons and other goods. I walk past them, knowing I don't have any money to buy anything.

I continue walking up to the drawbridge, taking in the stone work.

I get to the main gates and see two guards standing, watching me walk up to them. They wear the same as the Solitude guard, just with a yellow sash and a yellow shield with a stallion's head painted onto it.

"Ah, may I enter?" I ask uncertainly.

"Just don't go causing any trouble," mumbles one of the guards.

He and the other guard push open the heavy metal doors for me and I'm met with the bustling town of Whiterun.

* * *

**AN: Hey guys, I hope you like the second chapter! As always comment and review if you liked this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own Skyrim or characters. I own my own characters though!  
****Don't forget that the names that are bold and underlined means that it is in their POV.**  


* * *

**Lydia:**

I wake to hear shouting coming from the main hall of Dragonsreach. I stretch, pulling the furs off me, and then I swing my legs over the bed and stand.

As I slip into my armour, I can hear Jarl Balgruuf, my Uncle and his steward, Proventus Avenicci talking to one another. Irileth's voice floats through the walls as well. Their voices are muffled, so I can't work out the conversation.

Once I finish with my armour, I slide my steel sword into my leather sheath and attach it to my belt. I check my hair in the reflecting glass, making sure my black curls, which come down to my shoulders are neatly placed and that my one small braid on the left side of my face is still neatly pulled together.

Once I'm satisfied with how I look, I nod at myself and push the wooden door of my sleeping chambers open.

A guard, clad in chain mail and a yellow sash, standing beside the door stands straighter, "morning Miss Lydia. I hope your sleep was pleasant."

"It was, thank you Godrel," I say, smiling at him. "I hope your night was pleasant."

"It was thank you, Miss Lydia."

I walk to the end of the large hallway, which is decorated with paintings of the many Jarls of Whiterun. Every morning, I take in the many Jarls, going through their names in my mind. I look at the intricate paint strokes of the different oil colours. Each Jarl has a gold and ruby circlet on their heads, with the family trait of a mop of long golden blonde hair. Even my Uncle managed to get the trait from his father, his long Nord-like locks curled to just below his shoulders.

I push open the heavy wooden doors that connect the sleeping quarters to the main hall of Dragonsreach. I walk past the war room, where an Imperial Legate stands over a map of Skyrim, trying to plan things out for when they attack the Stormcloaks.

I walk down the stairs, my Uncle's voice becoming louder. I walk over to his throne, where Irileth and Avenicci are standing in front of him.

I sigh, knowing that there is obviously something wrong.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Ah, Lydia, good morning," booms my Uncle. "There's been a raven."

"What did it have to say?" I ask, curious. We receive ravens on a daily basis, as they come with news from the other cities here in Skyrim. There's anyways something going on in the cold land. But this one seemed… different. I could tell by the urgency in my Uncle's voice.

"There's been a ship wreck," Balgruuf says. "It tipped just off the coast of Solitude. Apparently there was only one survivor."

"Where did the ship come from?" I ask. It's not normally that we receive news of a ship wreck. I haven't heard about one in months.

"Anvil in Cryodiil. They were escaping from an attack, according to the note," says Irileth. "Reports say that the survivor is an Imperial woman with blonde hair and green eyes and they think she is about 20 summers old."

"Yes, that's same age as you Lydia," says Balgruuf.

"Who attacked Anvil?" I ask. "The Stormcloaks?"

"You mean 'what' attacked Anvil. From other sources in Cyrodiil, we believe that some people saw a _dragon_ fly past the city. I think they've had one too many tankards of mead… or skooma. Other reports say that it was just a bandit attack. I believe bandits were at cause. Either way, it won't be good for Cryodiil. What with all the soldiers fighting here in Skyrim, Anvil will only have the city guard to fight against the bandits," says Irileth in her usual cold tone. But, her deep red eyes show something else, _fear_.

I look at her, about to say something, when Avenicci begins before I can reply.

"Lydia, would you do me a favour. I need some bread for a feast tonight, from the market and Irileth needs her leather gauntlets picked up from my daughter's black smith shop," says Avenicci. "So, when you're ready could you please go down and get them?"

"Sure, I'll just grab my cloak." I turn away. _Looks like I'm everyone's errand girl again_. I hesitate, "happy birthday Uncle."

"Thank you my dear," laughs Balgruuf.

I run back to my room and grab my black cloak which hangs from the end of my bed. I exit the building through the huge double doors. As I walk down the steps, I notice the chill in the wind.

_Frost Fall is near._

Whiterun doesn't normally snow,since it is near the warmer area of the tundra, but in Frost Fall it can be quite cold.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. At least I can see Ysolda and we will have a great feast tonight for my Uncle's birthday.

The wind whips at my cloak gently as I walk. Ysolda sees me and walks up to me, smiling and holding her basket of picked flowers.

Ysolda and I have been best friends since we were children, we met in this town, and we've grown up together. Even though we are chasing completely different paths in our lives, we still manage to have so many things in common.

"Morning Ysolda," I say.

"Good morning Lydia, have you gotten orders for today already?"

"Yeah, I have to run around and do my Uncle's bidding."

"Still no one worthy to be a Thane of Whiterun then?" asks Ysolda sadly.

"Unfortunately, no. Not since yesterday, but thank you for asking."

Ever since I had turned 18, Jarl Balgruuf made me a Housecarl. Normally people volunteer to become Housecarls, but my Uncle decided I was fit to become one, so he made me one. I had already been training to become a guard of Whiterun, but instead he gave me the title. I don't mind the title of Housecarl, as it brings me honour, but I've been waiting for two years and yet, there has still been no one worthy enough to become a Thane of Whiterun. I long for an adventure where my Thane and I can fight bandits and bears.

We walk past Jorrvaskr and I look at the building hoping _he_ might be outside.

_Unfortunately he's not._

My shoulders sink a little but we keep walking.

"So, are you coming to the feast tonight?" I ask, turning to Ysolda.

"Oh yes, it will be wonderful. I'm very excited," she clasps her hands together. "I bought Jarl Balgruuf a nice silver ring to wear. And who knows, maybe he'll buy Irileth one!"

We both laugh, "maybe he will!" I reply.

For years now, Ysolda and I have been seeing a blooming relationship between the Jarl and his Housecarl, Irileth. My Uncle lost his wife five years ago when bandits attacked their group when the pair were on their way to see the Jarl in Falkreath. The two of them haven't made a move yet, but we can keep wishing.

We reach the Market Place and I see Carlotta standing behind her food stall, with her daughter sitting on the grass beside her, playing with two dolls.

"Hey Lydia and Ysolda, here to buy some bread I'm guessing."

"Yes, just the usual, thanks Carlotta," I say.

"You know, I really do think you have the finest food here in Skyrim," says Ysolda. "I might need it when I own my personal inn."

"Ah, thank you Ysolda, that's very kind of you, but I must insist that the vendor, a dark elf, over in Riften is meant to have the freshest food… but, I'll have to taste it before I believe it." Carlotta picks up three loaves of bread and places them in a paper bag.

"Are those men in the Bannered Mare still giving you trouble," I ask.

Carlotta looks at her daughter, who is still playing- oblivious to the conversation- and then looks back up to me, "yep. They won't stop. And the guards won't do anything about it. They say, '_woman up and give the men a chance_.' To Oblivion that's gonna happen."

"That's horrible," says Ysolda. "I just think they all need a really good punch in the balls. If I were Hulda, I'd kick them out of the inn."

"Ha, yeah," says Carlotta.

"If only it was that easy," I say. I look over to Adrianne Avenicci's store and I'm surprised to see someone new, working at the smith. "Hey, who's the new girl?"

Both Ysolda and Carlotta look up and at the woman helping Adrianne at the forge. The new girl would have to be at least the same age as us, 20. She has long blonde hair pulled back into a braid and she wears basic brown fur armour. Just seeing her from this distance away, I can tell she's Imperial.

"A new Imperial maybe," says Ysolda. "Here for the war."

I remember when Balgruuf and Irileth were talking about the ship wreck near Solitude; it was a boat that had come from Cryodiil and one sole survivor- an Imperial most likely.

"Should we say something?" I ask.

"Yeah, let's go meet her," says Ysolda.

"I'll meet you guys later, after I finished work. Maybe you can bring the new girl to the Bannered Mare and we can all get a drink of mead."

"That sounds like a plan."

* * *

**AN: Oohh! So we finally meet Lydia! Amanda and Lydia will soon be meeting, so we'll see how that goes! **


End file.
